The Pennsylvania Turnpike is among the Commonwealth's premiere east-west highways, linking metro Philadelphia and points east with Pitsburgh and points west. Opened in stages between 1940 and 1956, the 360 mile route was among the U.S.' first "superhighways" and an engineering marvel.

In the greater Philadelphia metro area, the Turnpike serves as a long-distance northern bypass of the city for east-west traffic between Harrisburg and New Jersey.

For Historic Overview: http://www.phillyroads.com/roads/pa-t...